The Medicinal Herb Info site was created to help educate visitors about the often forgotten wisdom of the old ways of treating illnesses. Many of today's drugs and medicines were originally derived from natural ingredients, combinations of plants and other items found in nature.

We are not suggesting that you ignore the help of trained medical professionals, simply that you have additional options available for treating illnesses. Often the most effective treatment involves a responsible blend of both modern and traditional treatments.

Pipsissewa is a perennial; 6-12 inches; a small half-shrubby, evergreen plant; a creeping, white rootstock produces several angular stems growing to about a foot high. The leathery, bright green leaves, 2-3 inches long, thick and shiny and toothed, grow in whorls and are oblanceolate to oblong with sharply serrate margins. Terminal corymbs of nodding, waxy, white or pinkish, fragrant flowers with purple centers, with 5 petals and a ring of red anthers, rise above the leaves in a cluster of 4-7 blossoms; appear from May to August. The fruit is an erect 5-celled capsule.Back to Top

Grows in dry woods (acid soil rich in leaf mold) of the northern temperate areas of the world. It is found everywhere in the United States and southern Canada, in the mountains in the south. Absent from the southeastern and central southern states.Back to Top

Noted for producing diuretic action without irritant side-effects. Prolonged use of the leaf tea is said to dissolve bladder stones and dropsy. It has been recommended for scrofula and rheumatic problems. With medical supervision, it can be used for dropsy, albuminuria, hematuria, chronic kidney problems, and gonorrhea. Externally, a tea or poultice made from the plant can be applied to ulcers, sores, tumors, blisters, and swellings, muscle cramps.

Native Americans used leaf tea for backaches, coughs, stomachaches, as a blood purifier, diuretic; drops used for sore eyes. Leaves were smoked as a tobacco substitute.Back to Top